Brush



Nov. 4 1924 C. A. DON

BRUSH C. A. DON

Nov, 4 1924.

BRUSH Filed Feb. 9, 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet. 2

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Patented Nov. 4, 1924.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CLARA ALBERTA DON, UF LONDON, ENGLAND, ASSIGNGR TO FRANCES MAUD COUSI- NEA'U, 0F TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, AND LONDON, ENGLAND.

BRUSH.

Application led February 9, 1923. Serial No. 617,987.

T 0 all lwhom it may concern:

Be it known that l, CLARA ALBERTA DON, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at l5 Upper Bedford Place, London, W'. l, llngland, have invented certain new and useful improvements in or Relating to Brushes., of which the following is a specification.

rThis invention has reference to brushes of the kind in which the operative portion (corresponding to the bristles of an ordinary brush) is formed of india-rubber.

As usually made these brushes have the operative portion formed by moulding, but in carrying out this invention moulding is dispensed with and the operative portion of the brush is formed of thin india-rubber or elastic thread cut to suitable lengths.

Thus according to the invention, the said operative portion consists of short lengths or strands of very flexible india-rubber or elastic thread (as distinguished from moulded projections) which are doubled or folded over and have the bend or loop inserted in, or passed through, holes in a suitable hard or rigid holder, backing or stock, of wood, bone or ebonite for instance, analogous to the back of an ordinary brush.

These short lengths or strands are reta-ined in position by cotton or other threads, cords or their equivalent passed transversely through the loops or bends. They are, conveniently, arranged in groups, bunches or tufts, each secured in its own hole or cavity in the back or stock, and may be combined with bristles or hair such as used in ordinary brushes, if desired, although for most purposes rubber or elastic strands alone are found satisfactory.

The holes in which the rubber or elastic strands are secured, may be small enough to nip or compress the strands, these latter being passed into them in a stretched condition so that when let go and allowed to expand they are gripped in the holes.

The invention is applicable to all kinds of brushes, for instance clothes-brushes, bath or massage brushes, shaving brushes, and brushes for general household or domestic purposes. It may also be applied to revolving brushes in carpet-sweepers or even in machinery, for instance in the textile trades for brushing machines in velvet, cloth, or cotton manufacture for instance. In fact brushes may be made according to this invention for any purposes for which ordinary brushes with soft bristles or fibres are used.

ln order that-the invention may be clearly understood and readily carried into effect reference will now be had by way of eX- ample to the accompanying drawings, in. which :w-

Fig. l is a section o-n the line l-l (Fig. 2) of one form of brush, analogous to an ordinary hand brush or bath brush.

2 is a plan of `the back or stock of the brush, with its cover-piece taken off, to show how the looped strands are retained in position.

Figs. 3, Ll and 5 are diagrams to a larger scale illustrating one inode of threading the bent rubber or elastic strands into the holes in the bach, as hereinafter referred to.

Fig. 6 shows one of the bent or folded strands before it is inserted in the back.

Fig. 7 is a side-view of a construction of shaving brush according to the invention.

Fig. 8 is a separate plan view of theA holder or cap-piece in which the strands of the brush itself are secured.

a t represent the india-rubber or elastic strands, which are cut to the requisite length to form the operative portion of the brush. These strands are secured in the back or stock Z9, their free tips or points c forming the face of the brush as it were. They may be made up in pairs by bending or folding over a thin piece of rubber or elastic thread (of the ordinary square form in cross-section) to the shape shown in Fig. 6, the top fold or bend (at al) being secured in suitable holes l in the back or stock ZJ.

These holes may be so formed, for instance by making them taper as shown, that they are smaller at the end from which the strands a project, thus nipping and holding the strands more eifectually and assisting in keeping them in position.

The actual fixing or securing of the cut strands a is ensured by retaining means such as backing threads or cords c drawn transversely through the bent or looped part a1 behind the back of the brush, will be obf vious from the drawings.

These improved brushes may of course be made by machinery in any convenient way, but in making them by hand the following simple plan may be adopted ln order to secure the loops 0,1 in the holes d of the back or stock the retaining thread e is .drawn in a loop lthrough one of theseholes by means of a hook f, as in F ig. 3. Through this loop oneorrnore of the strands a can be readily inserted and folded (Fig. 6) so that the bends or 'loops of each are linked into one another as in Fig. Il. Then by pulling back the thread or cord e, the rub-ber can be stretched out until its loops al easily pass through the hole Z F ig. 5), whereupon on letting go the strands a, the elastic Will swell or expand to its natural thickness and so grip in the bottom oi the hole d. Two or more strands may thus be drawn at the saine time intoeach hole, iori'ning group or tutt oit' kizree .ends projecting therefrom. The backing lor retaining thread or cord c is finally drawn straight and tight across the back of the brush l(see Fig. 2) and knotted or otherwise. secured in vany convenient. Way,

after wliichtlie outer v(or iinishing) vcover blot the back issecured in place.

When applied to a shaving brush as in Figs. '7 andf. exactlythe same system may be followed, the cut strands a, being securt-o'` ina small disc or cap 62 which is screwed into a. socket or shank b3. The holes d in Whichythe strands or tufts are secured may be in this case arranged approximately concentrically so that one single fixing thread e can be carried round through all ot theni.-

rIhey are also inclined or niore or less radial tothe rounded ,face of the disc or cap b2, thus ,allowing the brush strands to spread out all round as indicated.

For the sake of clearness, part of the strands are omittedin Figs. 7 and 8, only a few beingshown to illustratettheirarrangement.

As before .mentioned theiinproved brush is clearly distinguished Yfrom'brushes off the kind in Whichahe operative portion consists of prongs, fingers or fibres moulded or secured on a rubber or fabric backing. Moreover it-.isnot necessary lthat the brush should have only rubber strands, as ordinary fibres or .bristles can be used in cornbknation with the elastic, and distributed in alternating rows or as may be convenient.

Obviouslylthe invention can be modified in Various Ways in carrying the. saine into practice, Without departing' from the general nature thereof. y

I claiin:`

l. ln a rubber brush, the combination oi2 cut elasticstrands formedintoloops, aba-ckH ing with taper f-holes vadapted to nip Aand .threaded Ysuccessively throuoh the loops behind the backing, 4and acover for the .back olf' the brush, substantially as described.y

In testimony whereof I aiiiX niy signature.

.CLARA ALBERTA DON. 

